Tag: what causes balding

Beer belly and hair loss are some of the banes of an aging man.
Dad bod might be a good excuse for the absence of six packs, but receding hairline are harder to conceal.

#JustSaying There goes my esteem and image :p

My hair was thinning at the front, but I was still in a state of denial.
Clifford Clinic provided an assessment for me, and highlighted my hairline condition.

Once you see the receding hairline, you cannot unseen it, Ouch!

That was how I came across “Hair Transplant”. Most of us will not Google for “Hair Transplant” unless we have a hair issue!

I have heard of skin grafting (due to burns) or tissue transplant before, but not hair transplant. In the aesthetics and wellness industry, hair treatment might mean herbal implants or massaging, or other growth techniques. Hair Transplant was something new to me (read more here).

As an overview, hair transplant involves “transplanting” our own hair follicles (roots or hair strands) to the affected area. Each follicle can contain one to three strands.

Generally, the hair (follicles) distribution is in this order. Most of the strands infront are single or double strands. The top part of our scalp will have more concentration of double and triple strands. The densest strands (3 or 4) will be at the back.

Logically, the weaker (single or double) strands will drop off first when we age, and the hairs at the back are usually more durable.

Hair Transplant technology will harvest the follicles from the rear and implant them to the front.

The old method (strip method) would involve cutting whole strips from the scalp (rear) and grafting them to the front. It sounds painful, recovery time is longer and it leaves a permanent scar.

FUE (Follicular unit extraction) is the new Hair Transplant technique for hair transplant, and this technique has been in use for the past 15 years.

Doctor will assess how much grafts need to be transplanted before the Op. A line is drawn to indicate new hairline.

D-Day, let me share what happened during my hair transplant procedure

The FUE hair transplant process has two phases, Harvesting and Implanting. The duration would depend on the amount of grafts to be transplanted.

For serious balding, it might take up to 6 or 8 hours to transplant up to 4000 grafts! My procedure took about 4 hours, 1000 grafts.

Phase 1 – Harvesting

Suitable patches are identified at the back of my head

Local anaesthesia is applied

The hair graft (together with roots) is pluck out and sorted

Most of my harvested grafts are two strands.

4.Grafts are separated into different sections, depending on the number of strands. Dr Chow highlighted that not 100% of transplanted grafts will be successful, but majority will regrow.

The Hair Transplant experience feels a bit like ant bite, or plucking of white hair. Local anaesthesia minismised any discomfort and pain. You can literally feel each graft plucked out, left to right, row by row, but it was not painful at all.

As the process is time consuming, I was encouraged to take a nap.
You can trust Clifford Clinic’s experienced Hair Technician.

As I was facing down, I could only imagine what the Hair Technician was doing to my scalp. It is amazing how Science and Technology has allowed Hair Transplant to be done so efficiently (and neat too).

My Hair Transplant illustration.

Phase 2 – Implanting

Local anaesthesia is applied to the forehead area

Small holes are punctured at forehead “recipient” site

Hair technician will implant the harvested graft one by one into the small holes

Do take note both Phase 1 and Phase 2 will have a small amount of bleeding. Hair Transplant is still an invasive op, even though the depth is only a few millimetres.

A few bare patches might be visible at the back of my head, but surrounding hair will soon cover up the gaps.

What can you expect after a Hair Transplant?

-Minimum swelling around donor area can be expected. Pain killers and antibiotic will be given to alleviate the condition.

-I had to spray the donor area with saline to keep area hydrated. This would help ensure higher survivability of transplanted grafts. Stem cell serum would be applied to encourage new tissues growth.

-The donor area near forehead will feel tender, and as the tissues heal, itchy. Crust at the forehead will harden and drop off by the second week.

-No vigorous sports within the first 2 weeks

-For the first month, No swimming and only use baby shampoo. The adult shampoo might have chemicals which can impede the newly planted grafts.

What I like about FUE Hair Transplant technique is the minimum downtime and discomfort. I can go back to my normal lifestyle very quickly. Friends and colleagues might not even notice the Hair treatment.

Some photos below to show you how my hair “transformed” over the days.

Immediately after Hair Transplant. Minimum Downtime, I can leave after a short rest.Scarring (crusting) around the donor area. This can be easily covered by hair.

Scarring of tissues on forehead (recipient area) after harvesting is normal. It is not painful, but might be itchy.

Day by day, it is a miracle to see the grafts settle into new donor area, and start to grow. Do take note this initial growth is temporary, as the new hair will drop again. Once the transplanted grafts are fully ingrain (perhaps up to 6 months), the hair will grow strong and black 🙂

Dr Chow has benefited from his own Clinic’s Hair Transplant treatment.

Day 5Day 14, you can see growth!

Day 21

Why should you consider Hair Transplant ?

-This is the only permanent solution to our hair situation. Seek a consultation with your Hair Doctor.

-Cost is an important factor when you choose your preferred hair transplant method and Doctor. You literally pay per strand, sample Clifford Clinic is $4 per graft (for a 1000 graft transplant procedure).

-Clifford Clinic’s “No Downtime Hair Transplant” treatment means no downtime for busy executives. You can go back to meetings and colleagues might not even notice the minor procedure.

-Shaving of hair is not necessary for FUE treatment

-More details about Clifford Clinic’s treatment (and fees) at this link and Dr Chow’s own experience.